Momof4crazytocruise

So this is COOL. 

Not RCL - but what neat technology!

https://gcaptain.com/photos-boka-vanguard-loads-carnival-cruise-ship-for-dry-docking/?fbclid=IwAR0wxdh-5CoDG08ohmoFjow_eCaM3w7Wf73P7P5ppM3X4glvHlHClw3gQl4

We enjoyed Blue Waters Beach Club. It was clean, chairs right on the water, and they kept the vendors from harassing you. The food was a buffet under a pavilion - and we thought it was pretty good. The drinks were never empty, and the kids had a ball on the beach. Not much snorkeling, and the water is really shallow,  which was nice for the kids. Bring towels from the ship, sunscreen, and an open mind! It is pretty private, and everybody there is probably a cruise passenger. 

Edited to add: I brought beach toys for the kids. I found collapsible buckets on Walmart.com that collapse flat, and packed shovels and all sorts of toys. Was fun.

I've brought NASA stickers or mission pins (I work at Johnson Space Center) - small, compact, and usually well received! 

You can actually scale how much OBC you use towards things during the checkout process in the Cruise Planner. So if daughter #1 wants to prepurchase the internet package, she can slide the scale to use $25 of the $50 when she goes to check out on the cruise planner (she can also cancel her current purchase, then repurchase using this option) That would leave $25 for daughter #2 to use the leftover $25 towards whatever she wants. On board doesn't mean you *have* to spend it on board. You can spend it in the cruise planner ahead of time, and split it how you want. 

For our family of 6 - we take:

2 - 29in roller suitcases

1 - carry on tote bag with swimsuits and diapers for the day (and whatever else we think we'll need before the bags get there)

1 mesh duffel with beach toys, snorkel gear, and an extra pack of diapers

I'm a very efficient packer (plus my kids are still pretty small and their clothes fit easier!) 

Minus the duffel, this is how I pack for every vacation. However, in the winter, I plan to do laundry somewhere because the winter clothes take more room! 

Arctic Circle/Baltic and Greek Isles

I'm pretty sure they gave them to us in the terminal - but I was travelling with 4 kids, so my memory is a little fuzzy. I recall having them in hand as we boarded and they punched a hole in it when I asked them to. This was in April 2018.

1) Ask ahead of time for a pack n' play for the baby to sleep in.

2) Go to the nursery first thing on the ship and get registered and make reservations. When we went on Liberty, we were able to make 3 reservations to begin with, and then on day 3 could make more. Don't count on drop-in - it was rarely available to us.

3) Check and see if your ship has restrictions on the pool (likely) - but for us, Liberty allowed our 15 month old on the splash pad. I "think* (but double check me!!) - they had swim diapers available at the pool station. I brought some, but it was nice to know if I needed another one, I didn't have to run back to the room.

4) They also had an area during the day (usually the teen area) - where they put out toddler toys for the babies to play with. It was noted in the Cruise Compass - so look for that.

5) We arranged with our dining servers to  have fruit and crackers on the table when we arrived so baby didn't have to wait to eat something. That was really, really nice.

6) Our daughter didn't respect "ship time" and we spent a LOT of very early mornings wandering the ship. We knew ALL the cleaning staff on the 4am shift! LOL. She also enjoyed entertaining all the early risers in the coffee shop - where we'd go to get snacks that early in the morning.

7) If you are traveling with family, see about recruiting for the nap times. I spent A LOT of isolated time in the cabin with my daughter who was still napping twice a day. While it was quiet, and nice, it was very isolating when everyone else was off having fun. See if you can trade off with the others. 

8 ) pack twice as many diapers and wipes as you think you'll need. Trust me on this. (Also - take the stinky diapers to the hallway trash - which gets emptied more frequently than your stateroom trash. It also doesn't hurt to pack a little air freshener!)

9) You can take cartons of milk from the Windjammer to keep in the room. Also, utilize the complimentary continental breakfast room service for milk delivery in the morning if your baby is a big milk drinker. We also had them bring bananas and pastries. 

10) I didn't use a stroller much on the ship - just used the baby carrier. This made it very flexible for us to take the stairs - AND - I may be the first person to ever lose weight on cruise carrying a 22lb toddler around and up and down stairs! If you do take a stroller - get a cheap umbrella or one of the ones that folds up the size of a carry-on suitcase. The big strollers take up too much space and are hard to maneuver. 

Good luck, and have fun!

5 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

 

@michelle rocks, Great job Michelle.

I'm a little upset though, how come you never do anything like this for me? lol. Just because I don't have kids at home anymore doesn't mean you can't try, lol.

Too funny! It was on y'all's recommendation that I bit the bullet and contacted her. I'm our family's usual 'travel agent'. She now loves me-  LOL - I brought her like 8 more bookings for that same cruise. 

I emailed Michelle at MEI to transfer a booking. After that was complete, she told me that I qualified for their promotion of free gratuities and coordinated to get my pre-paid gratuities credited back to me saving me $145. She then got me a killer deal on another cruise with the Kids Sail Free and all 4 of my kids are sailing for port taxes and gratuities in a cabin that sleeps all 6 of us. She also just texted me this morning asking if she missed a call from me and reminding me that my final payment was due. #benefits

I'm not ashamed to say I would ask them to re-price for sure! $90 is $90! Money better spent by me!

Pop-up laundry hampers and mesh laundry bags. I buy them at the dollar store and store them in my suitcase. We just fill up the laundry bags, store them in the closet, and when it comes time to come home, just stuff the whole bag back into the suitcase. 

Not going on that cruise, but my husband and I are going on Enchantment in September to celebrate our Anniversary, too! Also no kids! We're ecstatic and don't even care where we are going or what shows there will be. We only need a pool, a bar, and a balcony! Enjoy!

I pre-pay the daily gratuities, pay the gratuities on the drink package, AND tip a $1 for each drink if I'm sitting at the bar awhile - it ensures the bartender 'attends' to my needs fairly quickly, especially if the bar is crowded. The way I figure is, they need that $1 way more than I need to not spend it! All the extra tips I spend on board in addition to the required gratuity are money well spent. (And yes, it's very American of me! but I'm not ashamed of having the American trait of over-generosity - LOL)

The ceviche at Palmera's is insane! Great view, right on the water. It's also right near the town square and market place, so easy to walk around after lunch before getting a cab back to the port. We took a taxi. 

https://www.restaurantepalmeras.com/

Thanks for this. While I knew deep down I would find no challenge getting my money's worth - now it seems justifiable   Also, I drink too much evidently.

We elected to do the Blue Waters Beach Club in Falmouth with our small children. Kids under 5 were free, and it's a nice, clean, vendor free beach that is pretty shallow and safe. We enjoyed our time there - we had 8 kids 7 and under, and they all had a blast. I packed collapsible beach buckets, brought some shovels, and a couple sets of snorkeling gear. 

Try a travel agent - seriously - they can make magic happen and can see inventory that they don't show on the web page. It doesn't cost you anything - they are paid a commission from the cruise line. 

Try selecting your already booked one from your calendar, clicking on 'details' and it should pop up. 

If you're traveling with kids and going to the beach, Walmart has collapsible beach buckets that fold to nearly flat for packing in a suit case. They don't make the greatest castles, but the kids have never complained!